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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Hello there! I've been MIA once again because, well, let's see here... I just couldn't think of anything to write on Thursday and then I thought of something to write for Friday, but I was busy baking cakes and getting ready for the birthday party I had for Clay and Brooklyn on Saturday. Which brings me to Saturday. By the time guests left and I cleaned up, I was too burned out to blog. And on Sunday, I fell asleep by 10:00! I know! Then, on Monday, my computer broke. I wasn't sure what was wrong with it. I could turn it on and it would work for maybe 15 minutes or so, then it would shut off. I wouldn't be able to turn it back on for several minutes. When I could finally turn it on, the same thing would happen.

I spoke to my computer geek friend (always good to have computer geek friends) who told me to take the battery out and see if it worked while it was just plugged in. Nope. The same thing happened.

I told him that my laptop felt exceptionally hot and he thought it might be the fan causing my computer to turn off as it got overheated.

As it turns out, it was the fan. Know why the fan stopped working? Earlier in the day, I'd taken some compressed air to clean my keyboard and I sprayed the air into the vents on the back and bottom of my laptop as well. A TON of dust flew out. I thought I was doing well to clean it. Apparently not. I just blew the dust around until it jammed up everything. My friend was able to resuscitate it and clean it out well. I guess I had a small herd of rabbits in my laptop. Do rabbits run in herds? Groups? Colonies? I dunno. I had a dust bunny the size of Texas in there.

So, back to my perfectly legitimate excuses reasons for not blogging. Last night, I got my computer back and spent hours going through a backlog of email. I finally called it quits at 2:00am when I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open.

So, here I am. But not for long. I just received my pregnancy book manuscript from my editor and need to make some final changes, so I'm going to be busy (well, busier than usual) for the next couple weeks. But I'm so excited to get this book all ready. I'm finding myself laughing as I reread it and I can't wait to share it with everyone. For those of you who don't know, it's called You'll Lose the Baby Weight (and Other Lies About Pregnancy and Childbirth) and it's a hilarious (if I do say so myself) look at having babies.

Oh! Before I get back to the ole manuscript, I have to share some Vegemite with you. Yes, a reader sent me some Vegemite after I asked on my blog what the heck it is. Because someone took the time to send it to me, I had to try it, right? I mean, even though it smelled like evil, I think proper protocol dictates that one must at least try it. Now, all my Australian friends have told me repeatedly that the secret to consuming Vegemite is to spread it thinly. First off, you have to kinda wonder about a product that has to be spread thinly. If it's so good, why do you have to make sure it's so sparse it can't be seen by the naked eye? I mean, I've never told anyone, "The secret to peanut butter is to spread it so thinly that you can't taste it." That's just silly. Right? Someone back me up on this!

Anyway, I followed all my Australian readers' advice and used it on buttered toast. As per the Australian recipe, I spread it as thinly as I could. I took a small bite. Now, mind you, I was only trying this because a reader was trying to poison me nice enough to send it to me. If it hadn't been for that, there is no way I would put this stuff in my mouth. It smells AWFUL!!! It looks like meconium and smells like rancid soy sauce and vitamins.

I chewed and tried to swallow, but my body violently rejected the putrid concoction. I spit it out and stuck my head in the sink, gulping from the faucet like a person who'd been stranded in the dessert with no water for a month. No dice. I could still taste it. I brushed my teeth. I brushed them again. And again. I squirted the tube of toothpaste in my mouth and drank a bottle of mouthwash. This happened on Friday. I think I can still taste it.

Thank you, Australia, for the umm, experience of Vegemite. Next time send me chocolate.

96 comments:

Anonymous
said...

pmsl, oh dear, sorry your Vegemite foray didn't go so well. S'pose that's why we're born and bred on it, otherwise we wouldn't eat it either!Good on you for trying it though. Do the kids like it? Are they game to try it? Could be a good dare (or punishment?) to do. ;-)

Hi Dawn, looking at your photo you certainly had the right amount of Vegemite on your toast... guess it's an acquired taste! Over here, it's pretty much part of life from a very young age...most people put it on toast for their babies!

As a child I used to eat vegemite by the spoonful! We eat it everyday in my house and go through jars very quickly. It is such a staple, I don't understand how anyone could not like it!I guess a previous commentator was right - maybe it is because we are born and bred on it and eat it from babyhood.Not keen on Nutella, but I am SURE you would love Tim Tams.

Unless your first taste of Vegemite was in-utero, you will never appreciate how yummy it can be. I gre up on Vegemite cheese and lettuce sandwiches, and still love'em!!Tim Tams however are different, how can you go wrong with chocolate biscuits with whipped chocolate in th emiddle? And yes, you do have to bite both ends off and suck your coffee though them... it's the law.

Oh dear. You could always try the Vegemite on nuked toast and spread thickly. It's awesome. If that sounds repulsive you've got to try Tim Tams. They are the opposite of Vegemite. Sweet. Chocolate. Sensational. Just wondering whether you can print the "other" name for Tim Tams when coffee is slurped through them. Bong bickies. Guess not, huh.

Hi Dawn: I haven't seen any comments about the components of the National Australin food product (Vegemite) It is the left overs remaining from the brewing process, and is actually tiny very healthful and beneficial yeasts. This "acquired" taste just comes upon one semi-gradually..One day you have to pinch your nose closed..just to get it down...but By day three, you will be scouring the stores trying to find it.Hint: British-American stores stock it, along with other equally famous delights (Like Lemond Curd and Spotted Dick( a delicious LARD based desert)Those "spots sre baked raisins.IF you can locate it in the USA, prepare to fork over $17 including shipping (or..try EBAY!

BUT..what a grand idea for one of your famous DAWN Contests. Kindly put ME at the top of your list of considerees( reminder: NO GUY has EVER won YET - - -.Just your guilt over ammending this egregious slight should cause you to spring into action (regardless of the extra duties you always seem to be stuck with (like cookies for the kid's class..the reminder only 4 hours in advance.)SO..do give some consideration to those of us GUYS, who have yet to win "ANYTHING" YOU will be mentioned in countless nationwide PRAYERS for whatever action you yake NOW. It keeps for a long time, if refrigerated..and is just so good for you!

It's a good thing Americans think Vegemite tastes so bad, because if they liked it and started eating it all the time they might just end up being as awesomely amazing as Australians are at everything!! ;)

OMG i live in australia and HATE vegemite with a passion..revolting disgusting stuff...my kids and husband love the stuff...VOMIT...is say..You did spread it to thick though i think, i spread it heaps thinner than that for the kids. BLECH..shudder.I have to say though, if you have a mouth ulcer, put the smallest dab of vegemite on it and the sucker will be gone tomorrow, your taste buds will be too, but that's ok!I think your very brave to try revoltomite without an australian there to supervise your spreading it. and now you see why a jar of vegemite lasts for 7 years in the average family cupboard LOL

Ok.. an Aussie here.. and well Vegemite is unreal!I love it, I eat daily! Though yes its an acquired taste im told. A bit like eating Peanut Butter Cups.. I just dont get that.. they are not nice for me!!

Thanks for sharing your Vegemite experience. I always wondered what it tasted like but was to chicken to try it. I think you should review weird food on your blog once in a while. Stuff that all of are afraid to try. Who knows, you might find something good. I know my grocery store has aisles of foreign food that I usually ignore. Maybe there is something good, or nasty, there! It would be fun to find out with you and who knows, maybe the kids can get in on it!

Your story reminds me of the time my Pakistani college friend made us try Betel Nuts after we futilely tried to convince her that peanut butter wasn't evil (they taste like soap, but Pakistanis eat them like M+M's). It totally has to do with what you grow up eating, I guess, but you did successfully squash the last shred of wonder I had, dating back to my Men at Work fanatic days, about what vegemite tasted like.

You had me lol. I moved to England when I was in the 7th grade, and like you, being a good sport, had to try this stuff. You expressed my experience on so well. Glutton for punishment I proceded to try it every so often over the next 3 years just to be sure it was still awful.

I might buy a jar for punishments. I have 5 kids and this might be good instead of a time out.

I am laughing so hard!! I had the same experience! My husband is Australian, so when we first met, I figured I should try it!! It was THE foulest thing I had ever tasted in my life - double yuck!! What does it tell you that after about a year in this country, even he wouldn''t eat it anymore!!

My husband an I spent our summer holidays in Australia a couple of years ago. The breakfast buffet at our first hotel had those small hotel-breakfast-packs of jam, honey AND vegemite. So, hey, we thought, when in Australia do as the Aussies do, and we got one of those. Only to find, we couldn´t eat something so ...umm, interesting first thing in the morning. But maybe later? We sneaked it out thinking, we´d summon the courage some time later. Well, what can I say? We carried the thing around with us for nearly four weeks and never had the guts to taste it! Just the look of it, ughh! How brave of you, Dawn! And good to know, we didn´t miss anything!How can a wonderful country like Australia come up with something so... ah, never mind :-)

I think the American Pepperidge Farm version of Tim Tams is called Pirouettes. They're cream filled and rolled up to look like logs. You can find them in a canister type tin next to other Pepperidge Farm cookies. Very sweet and addictive. Next time I make a gingerbread house I'd like to use them instead of graham crackers and make a log cabin.

Although Pirouettes are very yummy too, they are not the same thing as Tim Tams.And Nutella rules! I had a friend who was living in New Jersey and every time we visited, we had to make sure to bring her a jar. (We're from Montreal.)Peanut butter is definitely a North American thing.

Once again, Dawn, we are getting entertainment from your suffering! ;o) Thanks so much for being brave enough to try vegemite and then sharing your findings. I found it funny to see that Kraft makes it. I've never seen it mentioned in my Food and Family magazine! ;o)

I was at the supermarket tonight and saw Tim Tams in the cookie aisle. Hubby was with me, so I didn't have the chance to pick up the package to investigate what they were. Sounds like I need to buy some!!

Hiya Dawn,Vegemite toast and tea is my breakfast every morning.The gazillions of people who suggested Tim Tams are right. A Tim Tam Commercial was what set Cate Blanchette on her path to success.*Big Hugs*Be goodBelinda in Brisbane Australia.

If memory serves Vegemite was invented as a nutritional supplement... for all you folks wondering why in the world it would exist. I thought the stuff smelled like beef bullion so I googled for recipes and sure enough there are a bunch of things like beef soups and stews that use a spoonful of Vegemite for seasoning. Yes, I have tried it on toast, with enough butter I find it tolerable and might even grow to like it if I wanted to badly enough. So am I the oddball that doesn't either hate or love the stuff? I seem to be in the middle.

Ok the mother who made the sandwhiches for the preschool did not have even an iota of what you have on that toast. It was spread so thin you could barely make anything out of it. I am now convinced that was the ONLY reason I was able to eat it. I could only taste the bread pretty much! Seeing it on that piece of toast makes me so much happier that I really didn't TASTE it, sorry but it really reminds me of my son's "chew" spit.

Wait, peanut butter is not enjoyed around the world? I had no idea! I had a roommate from England in college and she had never had root beer. We got her to try it and she said it tasted like cough syrup. She also hated beef jerky. (She did, however, keep a jar of Marmite in the cupboard, which I tried once. Not for me!) Def go out and get yourself a jar of Nutella. It's in the grocery store in the peanut butter aisle! Now THAT'S yummy!

Gosh VEGEMITE is soooo yummy. I love it on toast, and with a vegemite drink! Dissolve 2 tablespoons (I love mine THICK) in a mug of hot water and voila! You have the perfect breakfast! Works especially well in cold weather!

I really think Vegemite is something you have to grow up with - but it is absolutely delicious to us Aussies. My nearly 12 year old son has it spread on so thickly that you can't see the bread at all and he loves it :)

When I was in New Zealand they had at least 6 different varieties of Tim Tams. Loved them all. I brought at least a dozen packages of them home to the States. My very favorite had a layer of caramel under the chocolate filling between the cookie (oops, biscuit) wafers and then all of that is dipped in chocolate. And yes, some varieties are available now in the US.

I am from New Zealand and I LOVE it... gotta have from birth (I agree)..... as for timtams.... yummo chocolatey goodness... and after you suck up your milo (theres another down under treat!!!!) it goes all gooey... yum

Um, Dawn - you did notice that under the large "VEGEMITE" lettering on the jar, it reads "Concentrated Yeast Extract", right?

I applaud your willingness to try it - I am a firm believer in the concept that you should try new foods at least once - but I think I would have hesitated to chomp down on toast coated in "concentrated yeast extract".

Dawn - you can get the Tim Tams made by Pepperidge Farm here in most grocery stores and in Target. I tried them after reading Manic's blog a while back. They're okay--not super sweet. And to those of you who haven't tried Nutella...what's not to love: SPREADABLE CHOCOLATE! YUM!

Regarding Vegemite: I told you it was foul, didn't I? I've lived in Australia for almost 11 years, and despite many attempts, I have never gotten to a point where I can even tolerate it, let alone like it.

"It's an acquired taste" is a polite way to say "If you didn't grow up eating it, chances are good you'll never like it". It's true that SOME non-Australians end up liking Vegemite, but it's not very common. The stuff is FOUL.

For what it's worth, one of my kids likes Vegemite and makes herself Vegemite on toast for snacks and sometimes for breakfast. She was born here, though she never tasted it in utero, because it would mean I would have had to eat it.

As for Tim Tams, I thought you had them in the States now? Trust me, they are amazing. Chocolate with chocolate and chocolate, all in a bikkie (short for "biscuit", i.e., cookie). Definitely do try them, they're wonderful. Particularly try biting one end off and sucking coffee through the middle. YUM!!!

How the same country produced the near-orgasm in biscuit form that are Tim Tams and the foul brown muck that is Vegemite, I don't know, but Australia IS a land of contrasts...

My husband went to Australia and brought me back a package of Tim Tams. After I tried them, all I could say was: And you only brought back one box! WHY???

I found them here at World Market... they are not cheap! $4 for a package of 10!!! But they are so good, that when the World Market by my house went out of business, I went and bought 4 packages and hid them from my kids!

Oh boy that stuff looks nasty! Reminds me of the healthy junk my mom has in her fridge. It's been awhile since I've been over here to "visit" and I forgot how much you make me laugh. I think you speak to us moms. I'm looking forward to reading your book- I've had 5 kiddos and so I am sure I'll find it very humorous.

I try to stick to the sweet treats of different countries. For the Olympic Opening ceremonies, I eat candy, eclairs, etc. from different nations as their team enters the stadium. This also works for New Year's. Eat food from a different country when it turns midnight in their country. Again, the important part to remember is everything must be sweet (preferably, with chocolate).

I would never be able to try something if it smells bad. My nose is the decision-maker when it comes to food. Vegemite sounds absolutely horrible!! I'll put it on my "What Not to try/do in life" list. LOL

Hey Dawn-I'm originally from suburban Philadelphia and never tried scrapple until I was 40(ish!)... I grew up watching my dad eat it every Saturday morning instead of bacon. He'd put his eggs on a slice and then some ketchup on top. Grossed me out right there! (Besides the fact he described it as "Everything in the pig but the squeal!") It's mainly ground pig parts, cornmeal, and spices. What pig parts, I've never been able to decipher... I tried it after my husband sliced it very thin, fried it until crispy, and served it with applesauce on the side. Yum-o!When I lived in San Diego, there were these "Tamarind Lollipops" that were, um, impressive. Some of the "fancier" brands even had dried bugs (on purpose) in the center. I licked one - once - and never made it any further. Now I'm in Michigan and they have something called a "Pasty" (pronounced past-ee, not pasty like gluey) To describe it would be like making a calzone out of pie crust and filling it with meat, gravy, rutabegas, carrots, and potatoes. It was made for miners to put in their lunch pail and eat with their hands like a hot sandwich. The other thing they have here is Poutine - french fries smothered with brown gravy and melted cheese on top. Sounds gross... until you try it!I'm so close to Canada (I can see it from my living room) we must have some of Merry Olde England rubbing off on us... we have Spotted Dick, Clotted Cream, Lyle's Golden Syrup, and a bunch of other English foods in our regular old grocery store (not bad for a town of 15,000!) No vegemite, though! (Thank goodness! I don't like beer... why would I like its byproducts??)Finally, my kids eat peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches. They call them "Reese Cup Sandwiches". Enough said; if that doesn't get you to try Nutella, nothing will.

I'd love to know how they pronounce "poutine" in Michigan ços it's a French Canadian (or i should really say Quebec) invention. And it's not just melted cheese, it has to be made with cheese curds. Heart-burn inducing but tasty indeed. It should be pronounced "poo-tsin".

Hi Dawn, you will definitely loooove TIM TAM! It is suuuper yummy! I've been eating Tim Tam for as long as I can remember! (I'm from the Philippines but we have cousins in Sydney who regularly send them over.) :) They also send us Salt & Vinegar chips (in the purple packaging) and that is divine too! Not sure of the brand because I never seem to remember it. :) Hope you love TIM TAM too!

I had an Australian counselor at my Girl Scout Camp in Ohio when I was young and she was THRILLED to receive a package filled with Vegemite from her family. With so many of us curious about it, she generously let us have a taste and was surprised and(and horrified!) when we all spit it up immediately, retching. It truly is a cultural taste.

Conversely, I had a friend who did a study abroad program in London and begged us to send her peanut butter...seems that not everyone in the world keeps two jars in their cupboards at all times. :)

I would really love for you to do the blogs about trying different foods! I'm fairly adventurous with food myself and would love to see your recommendations.

Vegemite is so yummy! I spread mine with a lighter touch than you did. Try spreading it on toast (thinner than you did last time!) and putting sliced ripe tomato. Or spread it on toast and grill cheese on top. Mmmmm.When I am feeling sick, vegemite on toast is the thing my mum always got me to make me feel better.

The same thing happened to me this weekend with my laptop... my screen would jump all over the place and the bottom of the laptop would get so hot, my thighs would have bright red marks on them. It was also so loud it sounded like it was cleared for take off. One of my computer geek friends used some compressed air to clean out my fan and it's a miracle! I can barely hear the computer and it no longer gets hot. Woohoo for nerdy computer friends. :) Have a good week.

As an American living in Europe, you should definately try Nutella -- many American stores have it. Nutella is chocolate based, with hazelnuts. It's almost like putting think Hersey's syrup on your bread.

Oh my goodness Dawn, I can't stop laughing!! We had an Australian exchange student who brought the nasty stuff with her. It is definately an aquired taste...one that I have NO desire to acquire. I had her send me some to make my kids try...that was fun! lol They have some of the best Cheeto-like things call Twisties, I believe. I could've lived off of them! But you must, must MUST try Nutella. It's delicious just in huge spoonfuls all by itself, but I use it to make "S'mores"....spread it on graham crackers with some marshmallow cream and you've got heaven in your hand, my friend! Enjoy!

Hey Dawn, long time reader - first time poster, gotta say thanks for a superbly entertaining blog!

Gotta pay you respect, as many have, for taking the leap and trying Vegemite for the first time. It really is an acquired taste, but again, as others have mentioned - is sooo yummy! My secret, lots of butter/marg on hot toast and spread the Vege really thin = heaven on bread! Hope we haven't scared you away from Aussie originals though, def get some Tim Tams (I recently sent some to colleagues in Chicago, I'm their new best friend!!) and Milo! A chocolate/malt drink you mix with milk ... standard glass of milk, 5-10 teaspoons of milo and then eat, not so much drink!!

Vegemite awesome!!! That stuff seriously got me through all 3 pregnancies. Here are some other ways to try it- vegemite and cheese- toasted vegemite and cheese (my 7 year old is singlehandedly responsible for this item being on the school canteen menu)- on some kind of cracker biscuit that has holes in it, sandwich 2 crackers together and squeeze..then lick off all the little vegemite worms.- vegemite and cheese scones - add some vegemite to the mixture then cook as usualSeriously...keep going....and by they way how on earth is peanut butter and jelly (its jam NOT jelly) at all tasty!!

That vegemite was wayyy too thick for my liking. My husband jokes that he waves it over the jar when he makes vegemite toast for me LOL. I had a bite of my son's V toast the other day - I could still taste it that night. DISGUSTING! And no, you can hardly see it on my toast when I make it. Now that you know how long the taste hangs around for, it's more than enough!!

Yay for vegemite! I'm a kiwi, and we have a national debate about mamite vs vegemite! My partner adores vegemite, and hence our 11 month old had it as one of her first foods (and subsequently adores it too - especially as a mousetrap). Its so popular here that Plunket (our child health org) list it as recommended food for over 9 month olds!p.s I know this is an incredibly late posting - I have been catching up on the last years worth of your posts as I have just returned from parental leave after my first baby. I have to say reading your blog while pregnant made me feel even more excited about starting our family...maybe I need help!